This invention relates to a clamp assembly.
The invention is concerned particularly with a clamp assembly which is suitable for use with an elongate cylindrical component such as a pipe or tube which may form part of a drill string which is used in a drilling operation. The invention is described with reference to this application but this is exemplary only and non-limiting.
During drilling operations and thereafter, e.g. when lining a borehole, elongate lengths of drill rods or casings which are axially aligned must be screwed together, or unscrewed so that they can be separated. Drilling conditions can be arduous and it is important to be able to secure a pipe or casing with ease so that the requisite forces can be applied for coupling or uncoupling operations, as may be required.
A further factor is that drill rods, for example, come in a range of standard sizes and a clamping system suited for a drill rod of one size may not work satisfactorily with a drill rod of a different size.
An object of the present invention is to address, at least to some extent, the aforementioned requirements.